“How do I look?” Tessa asked.

“Amazing.” Jackson grabbed her by her waist and lifted her up for a kiss.

Usually, she loved when he did that, but they were right outside Eva’s house. “Stop it. Put me down.”

“No one is looking. And if they are, they are jealous.” Instead of letting go of her, Jackson carried her to the other side of his car, letting her slide to the ground only because he needed his hand to open the passenger door for her.

“Your car always smells of pastries.” Tessa buckled up and turned her head to glance at the back seat. A big pink box was the source of the smell.

“I told Sylvia I’d bring some.” Jackson turned the ignition on and eased into the street.

“How many people are going to be there?” She was mentally prepared to meet two new people. Not a big bunch of them.

“Just us, Sylvia and Roni.”

It would be fun to spend an evening with another couple. Especially since one was an immortal and the other still a human. The human boy was Jackson’s age, and the girl was a few years older than Tessa. The reverse age difference was another thing they had in common.

She wondered if Roni was as mature as Jackson. He had to be for a twenty-five-year-old woman to find him interesting. But then the guy was some kind of a genius hacker, so naturally he must be fascinating.

Except, Nick was a great hacker too, and he wasn’t mature at all. All he cared about was scoring with girls and watching sports or reality shows on TV. Tessa loved him like a brother, but that didn’t mean they had anything to talk about other than job-related stuff.

“I think you overdid it with the pastries. Unless that box is mostly empty.”

“It’s full. My motto is that it is always better to bring too much than too little. They can put some in the freezer for later.”

At the keep, the security guy waved them in with no questions asked. She could understand Jackson getting in without showing identification. After all, he or one of the other guys were delivering pastries to the café on a daily basis, but it was strange that they had let her through without asking to show her identification or frisking her for weapons or having her pass through a metal detector. The keep’s security was supposed to be top notch.

“How come no one asked me who I am? Did you call ahead of time?”

Jackson shook his head. “You were entered into the system the first time you came here, and apparently given a security clearance to come and go as you please. Kian must’ve been really impressed with you.”

Or had felt really sorry for her. Jackson claimed he’d never told Kian any details about her ordeal, but Kian seemed like a guy who didn’t shy away from the ugliness of this world. He must’ve known what her captivity had entailed.

When Jackson knocked on the door, the young woman who opened the door smiled wide and pulled Tessa into a hug. “You have no idea how happy I am to meet you, Tessa.”

“And what am I? Chopped liver?” Jackson squeezed by them with the big box. “You forget who is holding the pastries, woman.”

Sylvia let go of Tessa. “I happened to love chopped liver.” She sauntered over to Jackson and kissed his cheek.

A sick-looking guy waved at them from the couch. “Excuse me for not getting up. This fucking pneumonia is killing me.”

“Roni!” Sylvia gasped.

“What? If we are all supposed to get friendly, I’d rather be myself.”

Jackson walked over to Roni and offered his hand. “I have no problem with cussing, and neither does Tessa. She only looks fragile, but she can kick butt.”

It was Tessa’s turn to gasp. “Jackson!”

Jackson plopped on the couch next to Roni and wrapped his arm around the guy’s narrow shoulders. “Let’s make a deal. There will be no pretending to be anything other than who we really are. Deal?”

Tessa and Sylvia exchanged glances in female solidarity.

Sylvia shrugged. “You guys want an excuse to cuss, then be our guests. But Tessa and I are ladies.”

For a moment, Tessa was afraid Jackson would snort a yeah right. But apparently he was smarter than that and so was Roni. Both guys nodded in agreement.

“Who wants tea and who wants coffee?” Sylvia asked.

“Coffee,” Roni said.

“I’ll have whatever soft drink you have.” After a day at the café, the last thing Jackson wanted was another cup of coffee.

“I would love some tea. Do you have herbal?” Tessa followed Sylvia to the kitchen.

Sylvia pulled out a box from one of the cabinets. “I’m afraid we don’t have much. Roni moved in just a couple of days ago, and I’m still working on stocking this place with food.”

“How is he feeling? Jackson told me he has pneumonia.”

“He’s better, but as you can see, he is still sick.”

They walked back into the living room with Sylvia carrying two cups of coffee and Tessa her tea and a can of ginger ale for Jackson.

He took the can from her. “Ginger ale?”

“Roni gets nauseous. The ginger ale helps.”

Sylvia went back to the kitchen and came back with a plate loaded with pastries.

Jackson popped the lid and took a sip. “Not bad.”

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence, with each of them pretending to be busy with their beverages.

Tessa put her tea on the coffee table. “So I know that Roni is a hacker. What do you do, Sylvia?” Talking about work was always a safe subject. Even she knew that.

“I’m a student.”

Jackson lifted a brow. “In what field?”

Sylvia smirked. “Several. I figured there is no rush, so why not study whatever I’m interested in, like literature, psychology, criminology, philosophy, ancient languages, archeology, etc.”

Must be wonderful to have no financial worries and be an eternal student. Except, Jackson had told her that clan members didn’t start getting a share in clan profits until they were twenty-five.

“What did you do for money before you turned twenty-five?”

“I see Jackson told you about that silly rule. But there is a loophole. Those who finish a bachelor’s degree get their share when they graduate. Annani is big on education, and that’s her incentive for clan members to get it. I finished my first bachelor’s degree at twenty.”

“My woman is smart.” Roni patted the spot on his other side. “Come sit with your man.”

Tessa stifled a smile. Roni was so thin and young looking. Calling himself a man was a stretch.

But apparently to Sylvia, he was. She got up and went to sit with him, lifting her legs and tucking them under her as she snuggled up to him.

Cute.

It was apparent the two were in love.

“What about you, Tessa? What do you do?”

“I work in a detective agency.”

Roni looked impressed. “Must be exciting.”

“Not really. I’m just the personal assistant and bookkeeper.”

“You never get any field work?” Sylvia asked.

“When Eva, my boss, needs someone who can pull off looking like a twelve-year-old, she calls on me.”

The look-over Roni gave her made it clear he thought she was all woman. It used to make Tessa uncomfortable, sometimes even scared, when men gave her appreciative looks, but Roni seemed so harmless that all she felt was flattered.

“You look all grown up to me,” he concluded his assessment.

To say that Jackson was not too happy about Roni’s appraisal was a huge understatement. The glare he directed at the guy was murderous.

She patted her hair. “It’s the haircut and makeup. Take those away, and I can play the role of a kid easy.”

Jackson shifted in his seat. “What do you do for fun, Roni?”

“Hacking.”

“Other than work.”

“I love hacking. I listen to music while I’m hacking. When I can’t hack, I read and listen to music.”

Roni’s love of music softened Jackson’s attitude. “What do you like listening to?”

By the time Roni was done reciting all the groups he liked, Jackson was regarding him like he was his best friend. “You have good taste in music, bro. Do you play any?”

Oh, so now Roni was a bro. Men were so weird. Even the good ones.

“When I was a kid, I used to play the drums. But that was years ago.”

Jackson perked up. “Were you any good?”

Roni puffed up his chest. “I’m good at everything I do.”

“I’m asking because I have a band and our drummer is leaving for college. I can use you.”

Sylvia cleared her throat. “You’re forgetting the small detail about Roni not being allowed to leave the keep.”

Both guys’ moods plummeted from their temporary high.

“You can perform here,” Tessa offered. “And later in the village square. It looks like the perfect place for a rock concert.”

Roni and Jackson exchanged looks.

“I like it,” Jackson said. “We will have to get Kian’s approval, but I’m sure he will be okay with that.”

Roni groaned. “I don’t have a drum set to practice on, and until I get paid, I can’t buy one.”

Sylvia caught his chin with her fingers and turned his head to face her. “I can loan you the money.”

Roni shook his head. “No. You already bought me clothes and filled up the fridge and the pantry. The drums can wait.”

For a moment, Sylvia looked like she was going to argue, but then she seemed to have decided against it. For now. Tessa had a feeling she would raise the issue as soon as she was alone with Roni.

“Fuck,” Roni exclaimed. “I forgot to talk money with Kian.” He turned to Sylvia. “You think he would agree to see me again?”

“How about you send him an email? He is so busy he might get annoyed by another request for a meeting.”

Roni banged his head against the back of the sofa. “I’m such a fucking moron.”

Sylvia patted his hand. “No, baby. You’re brilliant. You are just not well.”

Roni turned a pair of smitten eyes on his girlfriend. “You're so good to me. I love you so much.” He leaned and kissed her as if Tessa and Jackson weren't there.

“I love you too,” Sylvia mumbled into his mouth.

Tessa cast Jackson an amused glance. “I think that’s our cue.”